Signs and Symptoms of Dyslexia

Adapted from the work of Dr. Sally Shaywitz, Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity

How do you know if your child has dyslexia? The earliest clues mostly involve spoken language. The very first clue to a language (and reading) problem may be a delayed onset of speech. Once the child begins to speak, look for the following signs and symptoms of dyslexia:

Signs of Dyslexia in The Preschool Years

Trouble learning common nursery rhymes such as “Jack and Jill” and “Humpty Dumpty”

A lack of appreciation for rhymes

Mispronounced words; persistent baby talk

Difficulty in learning (and remembering) names of letters

Failure to know the letters in his or her own name

Signs of Dyslexia in Kindergarten and First Grade

Failure to understand that words can be broken into smaller parts; for example, batboy can be pulled apart into bat and boy, and later on the word bat can be broken down still further and sounded out as “b” “aaaa” “t”

Inability to learn to associate letters with sounds, such as being unable to connect the letter b with the “b” sound

Reading errors that show no connection to the sounds of the letters; for example, the word big is read as goat

The inability to read common one-syllable words or to sound out even the simplest of words, such as mat, cat, hop, nap

Complaints about how hard reading is or running and hiding when it is time to read

A history of reading problems in parents or siblings

In addition to identifying speaking and reading problems, look for these indications of strengths in higher-level thinking processes:

Curiosity

A great imagination

The ability to figure things out

Eager embrace of new ideas

Getting the gist of things

A good understanding of new concepts

Surprising maturity

A large vocabulary for the age group

Enjoyment in resolving puzzles

Talent at building models

Excellent comprehension of stories read or told to him/her

Signs of Dyslexia from Second Grade On

Problems in Speaking

Mispronunciation of long, unfamiliar, or complicated words; the fracturing of words—leaving out parts of words or confusing the order of the parts of words; for example, aluminum becomes amulium

Speech that is not fluent—pausing or hesitating often when speaking, lots of um’s during speech or glibness

The use of imprecise language, such as vague references to stuff or things instead of the proper name of an object

Not being able to find the exact word, such as confusing words that sound alike: saying tornado instead of volcano, substituting lotion for ocean, or humanity for humidity

The need for time to summon an oral response or the inability to come up with a verbal response quickly when questioned

Learning that is accomplished best through meaning rather than rote memorization

Ability to get the “big picture”

A high level of understanding of what is read to them

The ability to read and to understand at a high level overlearned words (that is, highly practiced) in a special area of interest; for example, if their hobby is restoring cars, they may be able to read auto mechanics magazines

Improvement as an area of interest becomes more specialized and focused, when they develop a miniature vocabulary that they can read

A surprisingly sophisticated listening vocabulary

Excellence in areas not dependent on reading such as math, computers, and visual arts, or excellence in more conceptual (versus factoid-driven) subjects such as philosophy, biology, social studies, neuroscience, and creative writing

Observable Signs of Reading Difficulties

May be slow to learn the connection between letters and sounds

Has difficulty decoding single words (reading single words in isolation)

Has difficulty spelling phonetically

Makes consistent reading and spelling errors such as:

Letter reversals: “d” for “b” as in “dog” for “bog”

Word reversals: “tip” for “pit”

Inversions: “m” for “w”, “u” for “n”

Transpositions: “felt” for “left”

Substitutions: “house” for “home”

Omissions: skips word entirely

May confuse small words: “at” for “to,” “said” for “and,” “does” for “goes”

Relies on guessing: “purple for pickle”, ‘wondered for wounded’

Relies on predicting or context

May have difficulty learning new vocabulary

May transpose number sequences and confuse arithmetic signs

May have trouble remembering facts

May be slow to learn new skills; relies heavily on memorizing without understanding

May have difficulty planning, organizing and managing time, materials and tasks